Lord of the Hunt
Lord of the Hunt, officially styled as Demon of the North: Lord of the Hunt 'is a 2016 upcoming short story by LordOfTheNeverThere, inspired by the 2002 novel The Revenant by Michael Punke. The short story was written as a replacement for the cancelled 2015 short story Waking the Demon. Set in the fictional world of ''A Song of Ice and Fire, the story details the origins of Lucius Dragen, a cannibalistic serial killer. The story is set in the North in the midst of a heavy and unforgiving winter. When Lucius Dragen goes hunting with Ser Cerran Harlaw, Lucius ends up mortally wounded after surviving a vicious stag attack. Fighting for his live, Lucius desperately tries to return to his home in Snake Mount, while he also slowly descends into madness. The viewpoint of this story is both in a third person, subjective view (a viewpoint most commonly used by George R.R. Martin himself with his POV characters) and a third person, omniscient view (most commonly used in other novels, a classic example being J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings). The different viewpoints might shift and change occasionally, a chapter might start with Lucius's subjective view, and the story would then cut to Manwell and his hunters as they try and track down Lucius. Lucius obviously has little to no information on Manwell's doings, and so the story will change to an omniscient viewpoint. ''Lord of the Hunt ''is the first of three volumes of the ''Demon of the North ''series. There are two planned, currently forthcoming sequels: # ''Lord of the Hunt ''(forthcoming) # ''Prince of the Moths ''(forthcoming) # ''Father of the Dead ''(forthcoming) Development The story was imagined during the revamping of the Lucius Dragen page on the Game of Thrones Fanon Wiki. I began on writing a possible origin story of Lucius Dragen called "Waking the Demon". However, the story was put on hold for a while because of my displeasure with the Demon's story. I officially canceled the story after I began development on "Lord of the Hunt", the true origin story of Lucius Dragen. So far, the story has yet to be written. I may do a few writings here and there, but currently I am focused mainly on The Prowler, so I'll wait until that is finished before I can begin with the Hunt. As with the rest of my short stories, I do not prepare or revise a chapter beforehand. Instead, I experiment and I make up content as I go along. One of my primary obstacles, is that of linguistic issues. I am not a native English speaker and therefore I have great difficulty writing an English-based short story without making a few grammatical and vocabulary mistakes. '''SECTIONS FINISHED: * Plot * Appendix * Prologue Plot Garth Dragen, the Lord of Snake Mount, has left the North to fight with Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark in the War of the Usurper. His eldest son, Lucius Dragen is a bright, handsome young man who is keen on adventure and troublemaking. One day, he and Snake Mount's Master-at-Arms, Ser Cerran Harlaw of the Iron Islands, decide to go on a hunting trip into the Wolfswood near Deepwood Motte. While trying to kill a deer calf, two large, strongly build stags attack Ser Cerran and Lucius. The beasts are slain but with them, they killed Ser Cerran and mortally wounds the young lord. Lucius is left alone, cold and half-dead. With his home 200 miles away from him, Lucius has to battle the elements, survive, but also remain sane and mentally whole. Appendix Featured houses and associates House Dragen The Dragens are one of the oldest and most respected of the noble houses of the North. House Dragen can trace their ancestry back to the Age of Heroes to the infamous Evan the Cannibal, a bloodthirsty warlord who is rumoured to have cannibalized his enemies. Their blazon is a yellow-eyed, green cobra on a blackened field. The Dragen words are Peace is a Lie. GARTH DRAGEN, Lord of Snake Mount, Lord Defender of the North, *his wife, LADY ALISE, of HOUSE GLOVER, *their children: **LUCIUS, the heir to Snake Mount, twelve years of age, **MIRA, their eldest daughter, twelve, **ERIKAR, called Erik, five, *his siblings: **JARAN, his elder brother, a sworn brother of the Night's Watch, **ETHAN SNOW, his bastard younger brother, a boy of fifteen, *his household: **MAESTER VAHAELOR, counselor, healer, and tutor, **LORD DUNCAN CATELL, Lord of Cath Hall, castellan, **SER CERRAN HARLAW, master-at-arms, captain of the guard, son of Lord Tyrus Harlaw of Harlaw, *his principal lords bannermen: **ADEN FALKER, Lord of the Falcon's Nest, **DUNCAN CATELL, Lord of Cath Hall, castellan at Snake Mount, **JARSON BREWLAN, Lord of the Eastcairn, **WYLOS BERROW, Lord of Holthall, **RYGER MOLLEN, Lord of Riften. The principal houses sworn to Snake Mount are Falker, Catell, Brewlan, Berrow, and Mollen. House Stark The Starks trace their descent from Brandon the Builder and the ancient Kings of Winter. For thousands of years they ruled from Winterfell as Kings in the North, until Torrhen Stark, the King Who Knelt, chose to swear fealty to Aegon the Dragon rather than give battle. Their blazon is a grey direwolf on an ice-white field. The Stark words are Winter Is Coming. EDDARD STARK, Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North, *his wife, LADY CATELYN, of HOUSE TULLY, *their child: **ROBB, the heir to Winterfell, newborn, *his siblings: **{BRANDON}, his elder brother, murdered by the command of King Aerys II Targaryen, **LYANNA, his younger sister, currently missing, **BENJEN, his younger brother, *his household: **MAESTER LUWIN, counselor, healer, and tutor, **VAYON POOLE, steward of Winterfell, **SER RODRIK CASSEL, master-at-arms, **SEPTON CHAYLE, keeper of the castle sept and library, **HULLEN, master of horses, **FARLEN, kennelmaster, **OLD NAN, storyteller, once a wet nurse, ***HODOR, her great-grandson, a simpleminded stableboy, **GAGE, the cook, **MIKKEN, smith and armorer, *his principal lords bannermen: **SER HELMAN TALLHART, **RICKARD KARSTARK, Lord of Karhold, **ROOSE BOLTON, Lord of the Dreadfort, **JON UMBER, called THE GREATJON, **GARTH DRAGEN, Lord of Snake Mount **GALBART and ROBETT GLOVER, **WYMAN MANDERLY, Lord of White Harbor, **MAEGE MORMONT, the Lady of Bear Island, **GARRICK GRAYBURN, Lord of Brightbank The principal houses sworn to Winterfell are Karstark, Umber, Flint, Mormont, Hornwood, Cerwyn, Reed, Manderly, Dragen, Glover, Tallhart, Grayburn, and Bolton. Featured characters Prologue * Lady Catelyn Stark, Lady of Winterfell and wife of Lord Eddard Stark. * Ser Rodrik Cassel, Master-at-Arms at Winterfell. * Maester Luwin, Maester at Wintefell. Main story * Lucius Dragen, the titular protagonist, heir to Snake Mount and firstborn son of Lord Garth Dragen. Twelve years of age. * Lady Alise Dragen, the Lady of Snake Mount, wife of Garth Dragen, Lucius's mother. * Mira Dragen, firstborn daughter of Lord Garth and Lady Alise Dragen, twin-sister of Lucius. * Erik Dragen, secondborn son of Lord Garth and Lady Alise Dragen, brother of Lucius. * Ser Cerran Harlaw, Master-at-Arms at Snake Mount. * Maester Vahaelor, counselor and healer at Snake Mount, tutor to Lord Garth's children. * The Haragni. ** Magnar Ferwyn, chieftain of the Haragni. * A bow hunter, Lucius's first victim. * Manwell's Hunters. ** Manwell, leader of the Hunters, a headhunter and rapist, main antagonist. *** Manwell's men: Dennas, Howar, Orland, Davis, and Mortin. *Lady Catelyn Stark, Lady of Winterfell and wife of Lord Eddard Stark. *Maester Luwin, Maester at Wintefell. *Ser Rodrik Cassel, Master-at-Arms at Winterfell. Epilogue * Lucius Dragen, the titular protagonist, heir to Snake Mount and firstborn son of Lord Garth Dragen. Twenty-one years of age. * Garvy, Lucius's apparent lover and second victim. * A Northern lord, Garvy's father. * Lord Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. * Lord Garth Dragen, the Lord of Snake Mount, father of Lucius Dragen. Featured locations * Snake Mount * The Wolfswood * The Gift * Winterfell * An unnamed castle in the North. Story Foreword and intro There was once a time when the infamous "Demon of the North", alias Lucius Dragen, was sane, kind-hearted and innocent. Before the War of the Five Kings, before Eddard Stark's death and before Robert's Rebellion. This short story will tell the detailed backstory and history of Lucius Dragen. Lord of Snake Mount, Butcher of Riften, Demon of the North, the infamous cannibal who murdered, manipulated, brainwashed, and eaten numerous innocent Northerners. This short story is inspired by two novels. For one, it is inspired by The Revenant from Michael Punke, a nonfictional tale about Hugh Glass, the famed American fur trapper and frontiersman who survived a vicious grizzly bear mauling in South Dakota. The other novel on which this story is loosely based upon is Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris. The main protagonist of this tale, Lucius Dragen, is based primarily on Hannibal Lecter himself, which is why the latter novel is quite important to mention. Furthermore, I do not own any content released by the two authors mentioned above. These are simply authors which I like to be credited. As the short story itself is a fan-fiction tale based on the A Song of Ice and Fire ''novels, it is important to mention that there are themes of violence, profanity and sexuality involved in this story. Events such as a cannibalistic attack, man-eating, a sexual assault, a detailed stag attack and graphic depictions of insanity and murder will all be included in this story. Viewer discretion is advised. This story is not intended for those younger than eighteen. '''Disclaimer': I do not own anything of the A Song of Ice and Fire ''novels or anything ''George R.R. Martin ''created or published. I do not own anything ''Game of Thrones ''related or any works released by ''HBO. I am simply a fan of Game of Thrones a''nd the ''A Song of Ice and Fire series. I am also aware that Mr. Martin does not endorse any fan-related works to be released about his A Song of Ice and Fire ''universe, so I dearly hope he can "forgive me" for writing this story, in a manner of speech. - LordOfTheNeverThere, author Prologue "He won't talk." Ser Rodrik sighed. "The boy is a mute." Ser Rodrik Cassel, Maester Luwin, and Lady Catelyn Stark studied the young, voiceless lord who was staring outside the window. "Gods only know what he has seen, what he has been through. Let him be, he'll come around." Luwin responded. "I'll talk to him." Lady Catelyn urged. "Let me see if I can get him to talk." "Be my guest, my lady." Ser Rodrik said. Catelyn sat beside the boy's bed. She softly grabbed his hand and whispered: "Lucius. Talk to me, Lucius." But Lucius did not respond. Catelyn stared deeper in his maroon-red eyes. She could spot no emotion, no expression, just an endless sea of red. "If you're not willing to talk to me, or to any of us, we can't help you." Catelyn urged. "What happened to you? Who were those men who claimed to be out for your blood?" She asked. Even though Lucius was completely silent, in his mind he was thinking all the time. His thoughts twisting in turning, calculating constantly. Endless trains of thought operating all at the same time. He knew ''why ''those men were after him. He knew why they were calling for his blood, but he didn't bother to answer Lady Stark's question. "With all due respect, my lady, but this is pointless. The boy won't talk. He is rendered mute." Rodrik shrugged. "Don't you find it strange, Ser Rodrik, why three poachers would want to murder a seemingly innocent twelve-year old boy? I certainly do." Catelyn said. "As a matter of fact, where are your new captives, Ser Rodrik?" Luwin asked. "In the dungeons, of course." Rodrik replied. "I was hoping I could hold them hostage until Lord Stark returns from war, so he could take a look for himself. "Did any of them speak?" Catelyn drily asked. "Well, aside from the constant screaming about how they want to flay the boy alive or how they want to rape him, nothing new, unfortunately." Rodrik muttered. Winterfell's new captives were three huntsmen. Poachers, looters, and rapers. Ever since they were captured outside Winterfell's gates, they have been shouting and swearing all through the night, always the same words. "GIVE ME THAT BOY! I WANT HIM ALIVE! I WANT TO KILL HIM!" One of the three screamed. Every time Rodrik went to shut them up, they tried to attack him. One of them actually tried to bite Rodrik. Luckily for him, he failed. Catelyn eventually noticed a collection of deep, red scars all over Lucius's back, some exposing bare ribs. She was visibly distraught and shocked to see such deep and painful cuts on the back of such a young and harmless boy. "Who did this to you?" Lady Stark whispered. "Were it those men?" No answer. "If it were those men, I would have enough reasons to execute them right now." Rodrik suggested. "Harming children in such a way is a serious crime." "No blood will be spilled inside these walls without my husband's consent." Catelyn said firmly. "We will hold these men hostage until Ned returns. Understood?" "Yes, my lady." Rodrik said. "Maester Luwin, how long would will it take until these wounds are healed?" Catelyn asked. "I'm afraid the scars will never truly heal. The boy will be keeping them forever, unfortunately. However, I believe that the majority of the wounds will be healed in less than a fortnight, ." Luwin admitted. "Do whatever you can, Maester Luwin. I will see an escort arranged to bring Lucius back home to Snake Mount." Catelyn declared. "Very good, m'lady." Luwin replied. As Lady Catelyn and Ser Rodrik leave the room, Luwin sits in front of Lucius and grabs his hand. "Get some rest, little lord. You will need to gather your strength. You're safe now, Lucius. You're safe." Luwin softly said. After Luwin leaves the room, Lucius still stares outside his window. As he looks out, he can see nothing but green plains and rolling hills, with some soldiers holding the Stark banners lofty and high. Lucius was now alone. But he has become a custom to loneliness. Out there, in the Northern wilderness, he has experienced unfathomable horrors, horrors so true, and so cruel. Out there, the wild took a toll on him. It corrupted his mind, it bittered him, it gave him a cold and single-minded view of the world. "Westeros is a savage land, fit for savage people." Lucius declared in his thoughts. "There is no such thing as 'justice', or hope." Lucius, of all people, knew this best. He had single-handedly seen these unjust acts himself, and partook in them. Lucius, himself, also knew that the idea of 'gods', was false. In his eyes, gods do not exist, and are simply mythological lies and fairytales made up by probably just old shepherds who wanted to prevent their grandchildren to stray away from what they deem were the 'good things', and so, scared them with the concept of divine beings who will punish you if you do not abide by the rules. It were all lies, Lucius believed. Lucius was submerged in his endless ocean of thoughts. One thing was made perfectly clear, even to Lucius. He is no longer that sweet, innocent boy from Snake Mount. That boy who wouldn't harm a fly. He has become something else. Something so horrid, that it is simply indescribable. But most of all, Lucius considered himself to be the epitome of evil. In his eyes he had truly become... '''The Lord of the Hunt'... Epistolary Acumen The Epistolary Acumen; that being the sagacious knowledge and information carried on through written works. ---- It was a cold and snowy day. There was tension and a feeling of hopelessness in the air, the people were quiet, and the soldiers were nervous. Large chunks of snow fell on the rooftops and on the street, almost ten feet high. It was the third year of an heavy, unforgiving, and relentless winter. Lucius was born in a long summer, and was not a custom to the snow or to the cold. The winter had fell on his ninth nameday. He was now twelve years old. Lucius had been rehearsing his lessons with Maester Vahaelor for almost two hours straight and he was getting restless and tired. He had other things on his mind, things he deemed were more important. According to rumours amongst the smallfolk, Lyanna Stark, the daughter of the late lord Rickard Stark, was abducted by none other than Prince Rhaegar Targaryen himself, the heir to the Iron Throne. "Shameful!" "Outrageous!" The people cried out. Eddard Stark, the new Lord of Winterfell, is planning to ride with Lyanna's betrothed, Lord Robert Baratheon of Storm's End, to King's Landing to fight against King Aerys Targaryen's growing madness. Lucius's father, Lord Garth Dragen, is a bannerman of House Stark and he had no choice but to follow Lord Stark into war. He would leave Snake Mount this afternoon. "Highgarden". Vahaelor asked. "Can you see it, Lucius?" Lucius was fading away in his dreams, drifting away, but he could hear and understand every single thing Maester Vahaelor was saying. "Highgarden, I can see it". He answered. "Good." Vahaelor said. "I want you to leave Highgarden. Go somewhere else, keep walking east until you end up at an other location. Tell me, where are you now? What do you see?" "A tall tower, with a beacon lit. It looks like King's Landing, but it feels different." Lucius muttered. "Oldtown, no doubt." Vahaelor declared. "You're seeing Oldtown. Concentrate." Lucius's eyes were shut and in his mind, he was literally walking through the streets of Oldtown. He could see everything as vividly and realistic as possible. He was there. He was in Oldtown. He even entered the Citadel at one point. "Oldtown. I'm now at Oldtown, in the Citadel." Lucius declared. "Very good, little lord!" Vahaelor said in a impressed voice. "You're improving." Lucius opened his eyes and with a deep puff he recollected himself. He had to take himself back to the real world and away from all the places he visited in his mind. "You can take a break now, if you like." Vahaelor suggested. "It takes a lot of energy to do something like that, and it is no easy task. But you're getting there." It was not a pleasant process, no. Lucius was learning a new technique nicknamed the "Memory Palace", by Vahaelor. It was a form of mnemonic discipline that helped Lucius remember certain things better. But using the Memory Palace at such a young age is difficult and - to a certain degree - painful for the mind. If concentrating hard enough, Lucius could memorise the tiniest and most trivial of objects in its every detail. Lucius walked out into the courtyard, and then on the balcony. Snake Mount was a large settlement, about the size of a town, surrounded with high, thick walls. The height of the walls gave you a sense of safety, but also of isolation and paranoia. It was mid-winter, and the entire castle, including its courtyard, was covered with snow, rising as high as the length of a standing infant. Out in the distance, people could be heard shouting, horses came riding towards the castle gate. Garth was leaving for war. Riding on a large, black stallion, accompanied by his principal bannermen: Aden Falker, Wylos Berrow, Duncan Catell - who was also the castle's castellan - and Jarson Brewlan of the Neck. Lucius ran into the crowd of people, trying to get to his father. "Father! Father, wait!" He yelled. Garth could not hear him. He was lost deep in his thoughts and the smallfolk that were shouting "Return soon!" and "Death to the Targaryens!" had louder voices than Lucius. "Stay, father! Please stay!" Lucius screamed at the top of his lungs. Garth still couldn't hear him. Lucius didn't want his father to leave. What if he didn't came back? What if the Mad King will execute him? He shuddered at the thought. Lucius' greatest nightmare would be if he was to receive the news of Garth's untimely death. "Dark wings, dark words", people always say. Even worse, should the Targaryen loyalists prevail, the North will be torn apart. Lucius has heard of the Mad King's "unsoundly" methods when dealing with his enemies. Snake Mount will burn. The North will burn. Lucius tried not to think about that. He continued trying to get his father's attention, but it was to no avail. Garth and his men rode out, and the gates closed. The peasants returned to do...whatever it is the smallfolk do. But Lucius continued to stand in the snow, looking at the gate. "He just left" Lucius thought to himself. "He didn't even bother to say goodbye." Disappointed and sad, Lucius walked back to Vahaelor's study room, to continue with his lessons. He felt vexed, terribly vexed. He just saw his father leave without even saying a word to him, and now he has to continue with these mind-breaking, dull lessons with Vahaelor. WIP Firmament and Filigree The Firmament and the Filigree; that being the heavenly aspects of life. Along the Firmament lies the Filigree, that being the ornamental work of fine wire formed into delicate tracery. The Firmament can not exist without the Filigree, as can't the Filigree without the Firmament. ---- The Hidden Twilight The Hidden Twilight; that being the gloaming twilight of it, the soft seduction of lost hopes, the valiant wit, the heroic jig, hidden away from prying eyes. ---- The Sallow Regent The Sallow Regent; that being the unhealthy yellow or pale brown colour on the face of a dying regent. The first discovery of the secrets of man-flesh. Cannibalism at its finest. ---- The Winds of Change The Winds of Change; that being the changing of the winds of fate. How one can survive, after dying. '' ---- Untold Legends ''The Untold Legends; that being the unfurling of legendary events, left unspoken and untold. '' ---- Waking Dreams ''The Waking Dreams; that being the waking of the demon. '' ---- Lord of the Hunt ''The Lord of the Hunt; that being Lucius Dragen. '' ---- Epilogue Full soundtrack The ''Lord of the Hunt ''unofficial soundtrack is comprised of music scores that I like. I do not own any of the following songs. # Lord of the Hunt Main Theme # I'm Coming Home # Snake Mount # Lucius the Innocent # Lucius the Cannibal # Cannibalistic Tendencies # Refusal to Die # Alone # Hunted # Winterfell # He Is No Longer That Boy # The Woods of the North # Long Lake # Finale Theme Image gallery File:The north.jpg File:Northforest.jpg File:Snowy forest.jpg File:Luciusafterstackattack.jpg File:Loth .jpg stagmanoutofwater.png loth2.jpg glowing stag.jpg loth-cover.jpg|A second cover of ''Lord of the Hunt loth-3.jpg|A third cover of Lord of the Hunt Ferwyn.jpg Haragni.jpg Manwell.jpg Category:Fanfiction Category:LordOfTheNeverThere Category:Short stories Category:Lord of the Hunt Category:Under construction Category:Demon of the North